Better Together
by DiBye
Summary: With Kristina, Sam found herself pulled in by the past, and with Molly she dreamed of the future. It was when they were all together that Sam felt most comfortable in the present.


Authors Note: This is just a quick drabble that popped into my head when I was watching the Davis girl's scenes yesterday. I don't really know what it is. I guess it's a little character study on Sam and her family. Let me know what you think.

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**Best Together **

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It was easier with Molly.

Sam had fallen into the pattern of sisterhood almost effortlessly. Her relationship and attachment to both Molly and Kristina had sometimes been like a lifeline in the sea of treacherous waters that was her relationship with Alexis. With their young hearts and smiling eyes, the girls had been a constant for her. When the world told her no, when her own mother was unsure, her sisters had been unwavering. They had held her hand and buried their noses in her shoulder. They had relied on her and trusted her to carry them. Because she was their sister and that was something that they never questioned.

There was nothing in this world that Sam loved more than her sisters. Nothing. But if she was being honest, it was easier with Molly.

Kristina had always had a rebellious streak, her eyes pleading for attention. Sam could understand that, but their similarities ended there. Sam couldn't relate to the life Kristina lived or the patterns of her growth. Sam had grown up on her own, with a con of a father and nothing solid to land on. But Sam also knew that Kristina hadn't been given the easiest path in life. So Sam listened, she listen and she advised and she was there.

A part of Sam felt like she was walking on eggshells when she was with Kristina. Because, of the three sisters, Kristina was the most fragile. Alexis hovered over her and watched her with a carefully trained eye. Sam was always afraid to ruin her. The way she had almost ruined her as a child. Kristina had wondered into an alley and witnessed the ruthless side of Sam. A piece of Kristina had never walked back out of that alley, and Sam would always carry that guilt with her. Each time Kristina asked for advice or mirrored Sam's actions, she would wonder if they were walking down that alley again.

They never talked about the moment in the alley. In fact, there was a lot that Sam and Kristina didn't talk about. They didn't talk about the fact that Sam's baby had saved Kristina's life. They didn't talk about the way that Sam had clung to Kristina after her child's death, desperate for a connection. And they certainly didn't talk about the fact that sometimes, when Sam was sad or tired, she would look at Kristina and see someone else. Just for a moment.

It was hard with Kristina sometimes. Hard to look at her, hard to hear her voice. It was hard not to imagine the little girl that never took a breath. It was easier with Molly. Molly who had been born in a tunnel and had grown to absorb the world. Sam had been able to hold Molly, only days after the little girl was born. The infant had given her strength while resting in her arms, pushing her to swallow her fear and move forward. Sam had watched Molly learn to talk, and walk. She had watched her grow in a way that she hadn't been aloud to watch Kristina. And with her complicated explanations and invasive questions, it was still easier with Molly.

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Molly was all smiles and laughter. She filled the silence that Sam sometimes let seep in. Molly squeezed herself into Sam's life wherever she fit, and made herself comfortable. There was something so very familial about Molly. She was the one Sam had been with from the beginning. There was so much lost time between Sam and Alexis, and so much heartache with Kristina. But Molly was just Molly. She was her little sister, she was her safe place, her beckon of normality.

Sometimes when Sam would spend the day with Molly, they would take a walk on the pier and play little word games. They would stop at Kelly's and get lunch, they would go shopping, and they would talk. Molly would ramble for hours about anything and everything she found interesting. Sometimes when Sam would spend the day with Molly, she could pretend that she hadn't been given up for adoption. She could pretend that she hadn't stolen and killed and done things that still haunted her.

With Kristina, Sam found herself pulled in by the past, and with Molly she dreamed of the future. It was when they were all together that Sam felt most comfortable in the present. When Alexis was trying to cook and Molly was spouting useless facts. When Kristina was rolling her eyes and laughing while Sam braided her hair. It was when the house felt warm and beautiful, and the memories of a drunken mistake across the floor fell away.

It was easier with Molly.

But it was best when they were all together.


End file.
